The Baton Rouge
by briefbeauty
Summary: AU John and Clarice meet at a party
1. Chapter 1

_The Gifted_ doesn't belong to me

 **The Baton Rouge**

John Proudstar, Thunderbird, made his way slowly down the stairs to the ballroom. He couldn't believe that he had let himself be talked into attending a party. When Reed Strucker, one of the newest refugees at the mutant underground had identified The Baton Rouge as the building which Dreamer had pulled out the Sentinel Services' agent's memories as the place where mutants were 'disappeared' and more importantly the place where they could get more information about what had happened to Pulse, he'd had no choice but to agree to do this, although he hated parties.

The others had been especially excited that there was a party being held at The Baton Rouge, it meant that they could sneak in easier especially since it was a masque. Still, John wasn't quite sure he had needed to be there but as Marcos pointed out to him they needed him as their ears which is how he'd ended up with Marcos and Reed on this mission.

The music was playing and there were a handful of couples swaying on the dance floor, most of the guests were standing in groups eating and drinking. John had just left Marcos and Reed in the office and he was on lookout duty although the guards had been knocked out and would not regain consciousness for a few hours.

And then he saw her. It was as if the dance floor had cleared to make room for her to walk.

She was a petite woman with the most amazing green, make that jade, eyes he'd ever seen, wearing a simple black gown that left him breathless. He was sure that most people in the room assumed that the green eyes were part of her costume but he would bet everything he had that those were her real eyes.

He must have stared a bit too long because she looked up at him, smiled knowingly, and then walked of the ballroom in the direction of the bathrooms.

Without thinking about it, he followed her. She was faster that he'd thought she'd be but then he was very good at what he did and he found her in a short while.

"I know you're there," he called to her. She was hiding behind a curtain in the library.

"What do you want?" she asked him, stepping from behind the curtain.

"Why are you hiding behind the curtain?"

"Do I have to have a reason?" she countered, "maybe I just like curtains, oh, and not being followed by strange men."

"Sorry," he had the grace to look ashamed.

"I guess I'll just be on my way then," she said,

"Right."

John stared at her, smiling slowly, he had never met anyone like her in his life. He wanted to get to know her better. "I'm John Proudstar."

"Really?" she smiled at him, sizing him up. "Nice to meet you John."

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?"

She shook her head saying, "See you around, John, I hope you get what you came here for." She pulled out her hands and ripped apart the space between them widening it slowly by slowly and then jumped through and disappeared.

000

"Where have you been?" Marcos asked him. "We finished a long time ago."

"I've only been gone for ten minutes," John told him, "and it was you who told me to go and enjoy the party."

Marcos shook his head and started the car; the mission had been a success, they'd gotten the files and no one had died. It had been a good day. He would find out what was making John smile like that later.

000


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for reading, reviewing, and following._

 _Thank you ethereal skies, PoshkItty, KirstenSmee, marjaky16, JaysHeartDesire_

000

Clarice Fong looked at herself in the mirror critically.

"I think this will do."

"I don't see why you're even dressing up at all," Denise, her friend/foster mother, told her, "it's not as if you're actually attending the party."

"Yes," Carl, their leader, agreed, "you're going to be in and out in the blink of an eye."

"Haha," Clarice pretended to laugh.

Denise and Carl Williams were part of the mutant underground; their main job was to take care of children and they run a state-funded foster home, although of course the state didn't know that all the children they took care of were mutants. They kept them as long as they could – usually until their powers could no longer be hidden – and then they ensured that had people who could help them survive in the real world.

Clarice had lived with them when she was younger and she had actually run away from them but she had recently returned to help them find children in distress. The Sentinel Services had stepped up their game and were targeting schools and picking up any child whose behavior seemed different.

"Anyway you're the one who said that today would be the best day to do this," Clarice reminded Carl. "That I would blend in better at a party."

"I just meant that there would be more people for you to blend in with," Carl said. "Although now that I think of it, maybe it wasn't such a good idea."

"Well," Clarice laughed, "I haven't been to a party in so long, and these dresses were just begging to be worn. Don't worry I won't touch a drink."

"You don't even drink," Denise said, "just remember the files we are looking for are in the library. It's the third shelf and the fourth book from right."

"Okay."

"Do you think she'll be okay on her own?" Carl asked as they watched her disappear from the room.

"She'll be fine, she always is," Denise replied, "Lydia said that the library is out of bounds for the party so they'll be no one there."

"I just wish we could be nearer, in case she needs us," Carl said.

"We can't just drive up to the hotel and park, it'll be suspicious," Denise reminded him, they had gone over all this before, "and besides we have children to pick up."

"I know," Carl agreed, "but I can't help but worry."

"And it's not like we would be much help anyway," Denise said, "we don't have any powers and we don't even know how to fight."

"I guess it's just lucky that we've survived in this game this long," Carl smiled at his wife.

"You'd better believe it," she smiled back, "but who would suspect such a God-fearing, easy going couple like us to be involved in illegal activity like this."

"No one," Carl said, "but my dear, we're getting to old for this work."

"I have a good feeling about tonight," Denise assured him, "I think we're going to get all the help that we need."

"I hope you're right."

000

Clarice put the flash discs in the pockets that had carefully been sewn into the dress and hid behind the curtain. She had obviously lost her mind, hiding behind a curtain.

"I know you're there," she heard him say. Of course he did, which made him a very good tracker. She thought of just disappearing out of the room but decided to talk to him instead.

John Proudstar, he had an interesting name and he had a nice smile but she hadn't come to The Baton Rouge to socialize, she had work to do.

000

John stood outside The Baton Rouge waiting for Marcos and Reed to come out. They were meeting a contact of Reed's, one of his former coworkers, about the location of a secret prison where mutants were being held.

He sensed her before he saw her and turned around.

"Hi," he smiled at her.

"Hi John," Clarice replied, "fancy running into you here, again."

"What are the chances?" he asked her.

"Are you following me by any chance?"

"Please," John snorted, "why would I follow you?"

"Don't think I didn't notice you eying me up, John," Clarice teased him.

"Are you ever going to tell me your name?" he asked her.

"Of course."

"And it is …"

"Oh, you mean now?" Clarice smiled. "Clarice."

"Clarice," John said, "that's a nice name."

"What did you think it was?"

"What makes you think I even thought of you or what your name was?" he asked her.

"Please," Clarice teased him, "I know when a man wants to know my name."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Do you work here or something?" he asked her.

"I look like I work at a hotel?"

"No," John smiled, "you do not, in fact, it's just it's the second time we've met here."

"Do you work here?"

"No."

"See," she winked at him. "See you around, John."

000

"What took you so long?" Denise asked her.

"I run into an old friend."

Carl and Denise eyed each other.

"I have friends," Clarice defended herself.

"Really?" Denise asked, "how come we've never met them or heard you speak of them."

"You know how I like to keep things private," Clarice said, "anyway I got the information. They'll be leaving at midnight."

000

"They're setting off at midnight," Reed told them as they drove back to the headquarters.

"That doesn't give us much time," John said.

"We'll be ready," Marcos assured, "it's not like we have another choice."

000


End file.
